Northern hairy-nosed wombats in the market for new home to ensure their survival

Wildlife workers and scientists are on the search for a site they hope could help save the northern hairy-nosed wombat — one of the world's most critically endangered animals — and they say time is running out.

Dave Harper heads the Queensland Government threatened species group that is caring for an animal they rarely get to see in the wild.

"It's a great job — an opportunity to work with a really beautiful species and to do something good for the environment," he said.

The northern hairy-nosed wombat is shy, elusive and mostly nocturnal, which means it remains something of a mystery, even to the wildlife officers and volunteers working to bring it back from the brink of extinction.

Volunteer caretaker Geoff Spanner said the animal lived underground and only came out at night.

"[The wombat] leaves all these tantalising clues about what it does — leaves these gorgeous little footprints walking along — and you never see it except on the cameras," Mr Spanner said.

It has now been 10 years since a second, more southern refuge, was founded near St George in south-west Queensland, after local landholders offered up 130 hectares to create what is now the Richard Underwood Nature Refuge.

A small group of wombats moved in and this year a new arrival was cause for celebration.

"We now have a joey, which is a great sign for this site," Mr Harper said.

"It just says that you provide the right habitat and these guys will do the thing they need to do … and a lot of it."

The translocation was a steep learning curve for the scientists who are still piecing together the mystery of the wombats, but the little diggers have now settled into their new home.

"We're able to move these animals, we have a balanced population here now, and we're able to take the lessons learnt from this translocation and we're able to use them in that site to get a greater success straight away.

"It's extremely important. It's really the next step for this species and it's something that needs to happen if we want to feel comfortable about securing their future."

Across the two sites there are now about 250 northern hairy-nosed wombats and with more babies likely next year, it will not be long before these growing families need a bigger home.